Entries from May 2014

May 28, 2014

every summer, when our blackberries make their annual bloom, our old, beat-up, seen too many days in the sun, backyard-wall gets a vibrant coat of green, purple, and pink.

no paltry, orange county-starved housewife looking berries for us; these juicy gems are plump + fat with the perfect tart to sweet ratio which makes not eating them straight off the vine a lesson in self-control and willpower.

this morning, the mindfulness i used to not apply sunscreen to my toothbrush {as has happened 4 times over the last 30 days,} was the equivalent of a mumbai ashram internment; my teeth and gums are fresh and clean, but unlike yesterday, they are subject to sunburn.

there’s something about berry picking though; getting my actual hands on the prickly bush, fingertips grabbing pretty stains of magenta, butterflies humming around the berry blossoms, and the gentle, warm weather we’ve been having of late beckoning me to stay outside longer than i typically do—it all charms me into my own meditative trance.

speaking of unbreakable catatonia….this one did not bat one inky eyelash off her mamma.

the fear of missing a fallen berry is paramount in priscilla’s world.

meanwhile jones just helped himself straight from the vine.

i wish i could say i whipped up a fantastic berry fool {aptly named, yes?} or that i swept hunkiest off his feet with a homemade blackberry cobbler {the one dessert i can make.}

but alas these popcorn-size bites of blue-violet bliss barely made it to the sink for a wash, before i gobbled them down like a hungry, hasty giant.

one need not have their own blackberry vines to experience the joy of the berry season. get thyself down to your farmers market {such a blogging cliché i know–i just gagged on my own vomit.} farmers markets are teeming with berries right now and it will make you so angry and guilty to see how much less expensive and better tasting they are than the stuff in our commercial markets {yes i’m talking about YOU whole foods!!!}

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May 22, 2014

are you the type who always sees the silver lining? even in a skimpy, 30-thread count, broadcloth, burlap, barely-there blanket?

is every morning a 400 color-count crayon box of happy? is the world a sea of opportunities for smiling, high-fiving, a runway for impromptu somersaults and general hoopla?

or do you tend to notice only the bitter; the poppyseed-sized grey cloud in a sky, marine blue, with sunshine?

do you sometimes find yourself waking up, looking for a fight?

do you ride that honda civic’s bumper just because his shade of red reminds you of your rival college mascot?

do you sometimes stand a little too militaristic in the coffee line when all that person behind you wants to see is what’s in the danish counter–they’re NOT trying to cut in front of you, but you almost would like them to try. it’s been a while since you’ve been to kickboxing class, and you’re not sure if you still got that “uppercut.”

back in the car, are you screaming at the top of your already comprimised lungs when that molten lava hot {aka coffee} escapes down the side rim of your so-called tightly sealed lid, burning your chin and landing, SPLAT!, on your crisp, white, linen, shirt.

all could have been avoided had you just taken the time to relax, calm down, and not been so eager to aggressively jackhammer your drink down your throat…presuming today, the world was out to piss you off.

i’m so guilty of this.

i’ll have a spin room crammed full of people i love, dancing their faces off in the dark; one beat, 35 souls and a magic that can’t be bottled up and sold. yet with one swipe of an idex finger, a corner lights up with a cell phone, and i turn into sleeping beauty’s, fire-breathing dragon.

despite all the goodness around me, i allow an insect of rudeness to ruin my party.

it’s 100% MY choice, 1000% my fault.

we are handcuffed to the lenses we choose.

and make no mistake, perspective is ALWAYS our choice, we have only ourselves to blame.

people will always lack manners, coffee spills, cellphones happen….how we respond is up to us.

today i’m making a planned effort to seek out the silly; to find the sweet in what might, at first taste bitter. the forecast calls for hazy skies with scattered clouds, but i am only going to see and smell the sunshine.

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May 13, 2014

oh let’s face it, i’ve got fall and winter covered here too, this is southern california, it’s pretty much the same temperature 360 days a year.

Totême, the new line by swedish fashion savant, elin kling, is a sartorial dream for our friendly, laid-back climate.

clothes made to be worn all year around, Totême originated when kling found herself in a pitch black, power outage, with only ten minutes to pack, for a week trip to los angeles,

“i thought, why don’t i have the perfect summer dress for vacation like i have my go-to denim and cashmere sweaters?” says kling. “i realized that’s what i should do. i was craving a brand that i could feel comfortable and strong in year-round.”

thus Totême was created.

take a peek at a few of my favorites:

although my legs haven’t seen shorts since the nineties, i’d spend an extra hour or two on the spin bike for these linen bodrum shorts; i’m loving the knee-length.

but just think how many bean and cheese burritos {extra sour cream} i could eat in that comfy, figure-forgiving belize knit dress.

this havana dress screams the joan didion, don’t bother me, i’m small, depressed, uncomprehensibly talented, and way too cerebral for your orange county, state-school-ass-LOOK i’ve been searching for, for all of these years.

hey, if you can’t be it…buy it!!

a flowy black bahia dress or this brighton v-neck would both be suitable for summer errands out with the hunkiest….i’d wear the dress if i’m angling for a present….the trousers and a sweater if i want to hurry up and get home for a nap.

i even dig the funky chinese jump rope sandals….if you’re bored or standing in line somewhere, you can unravel them and play cat’s cradle with a friend?!

and for sultry summer nights you are completely covered.

does it get more elegant than this?

these black viscose trousers styled with the black siena tank and the rocha silk tank are california cool incarnated.

i might even need to make a wardrobe change mid-evening because i can’t decide which look i like better for post-sunset fun.

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cover photo taken by katie osumi

~none of these images are mine unless specifically credited as so. i try my best as a fellow photographer to give everyone their due credit, but if you see an image improperly credited and wish to have it fixed or taken down i will happily oblige. no copyright infringement intended